Exploitation

Purpose and scope

Coventry Safeguarding Children’s Partnership works closely with local agencies to ensure that the priorities laid out in Working Together 2018 are met, and that all agencies take joint responsibility for protecting children and young people from harm and abuse. The aim of the strategy is to set out Coventry’s approach to tackling exploitation.

At the heart of this strategy are Coventry Safeguarding Children’s Partnership’s key values:

• To put children, young people and families at the heart of everything we do.
• To ensure that partners work together achieving better outcomes for children, young people and their families.
• To recognise and share examples of good practice so that these can be replicated in other areas.
•  To be innovative and to try new approaches to ensure continuous improvement.
• To be open and honest about barriers that may be preventing improvement so that we can collectively agree how these may be overcome.
• To ensure that poor practice is challenged appropriately to ensure that it leads to improvement in the system.
• To ensure that children, young people and their families receive the right service, at the right time in the right way.

Our approach to child exploitation encompasses child sexual exploitation, child criminal exploitation and, where there are links to child exploitation, gangs, county lines, knife crime, radicalisation, youth violence, modern slavery and child trafficking.

The strategy focuses on three key areas:

• Prevent
• Protect
• Pursue

This strategy should be read in conjunction with other key strategies, policies and procedures including the regional Child Protection procedures for West Midlands, child affected by exploitation and trafficking including gangs, right help, right time, and the early help strategy.

Context

The One Coventry Plan has a strategic objective to keep children safe from harm and to provide early intervention to all children who need it

Tackling child exploitation is a complex task.  Children do not always recognise the coercive nature of the relationship and do not always see themselves as at risk of exploitation. There is growing national recognition of the similarities between different forms of exploitation and the criminal and sexual exploitation of children may overlap and link.  Victims of child exploitation may, at any one time, be subject to both.

Perpetrators of Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) and Child Criminal Exploitation (CCE) can share patterns of behaviour in respect of coercion, violence, intimidation, and the power imbalance inherent in them and many other offences.  However, circumstances in which the exploitation occurs can demand different approaches. It should also be recognised that children may be both victims and perpetrators of exploitation.

It is increasingly recognised across the country that all forms of exploitation take place irrespective of social class, race and ethnicity, gender, urban and rural areas.  However, it is also widely recognised that perpetrators are more likely to target children who are more vulnerable due to social, economic or emotional factors.

The Independent Inquiry into Child sexual exploitation by organised networks noted that in relation to  “Child Sexual exploitation often leads to children suffering one or more of the following:

• mental health consequences, including low self-esteem, anxiety, depression, eating disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), self-harm and suicide attempts;
• adverse effects on future behaviour and development, including age-inappropriate sexual activity, alcohol and drug misuse, a lack of ability to trust others and build relationships, and involvement in the sexual victimisation of others; and
• physical health implications such as sexually transmitted diseases, unplanned pregnancy and possible termination, physical injury and genital injury.Some of the effects may take time to manifest themselves after exposure to the abuse has ended”

Coventry Safeguarding Children’s Partnership recognises that there is also a long-term profound impact on victims, families and communities of Child exploitation which demonstrates the importance of partners working together to address this issue.

More recently, for the first time, Working Together 2018 recognises contextualised safeguarding and children with complex safeguarding needs where the harm/abuse occurs outside the home and is not related to the care given to the children by their parents or family.  It provides useful clarity regarding statutory intervention for children where abuse takes place outside the family home. The general rhetoric around this guidance remains the same but equally important, everyone who comes into contact with children has a role to play and a child centred approach is fundamental to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of every child.

Figures published by the Department for Education reveal that 12,720 children assessed by children's social services in England between 1 April 2020 and 31 March 2021 were deemed to be at risk of criminal exploitation.  In the West Midlands, 1550 children were identified as being at risk as a result of involvement with gangs. DfE figures also show there were 16,830 children where child sexual exploitation was a factor during their assessment and 2710 children where trafficking was a factor.

Locally the Horizon Team reported that 101 children known to their service were at risk of CSE in the last quarter of 2021-22. Throughout the year there were 70 reports of CSE to West Midlands Police in Coventry which is approx. 9% of the total regional reports of CSE. 15 children were taken into police protection as a result of CSE in 2021-22. St Giles received 24 referrals from University Hospital Coventry in relation to exploitation, mostly sexual exploitation.

Definitions

Child Sexual Exploitation

Child sexual exploitation is a form of child sexual abuse. It occurs where an individual or group takes advantage of an imbalance of power to coerce, manipulate or deceive a child or young person under the age of 18 into sexual activity (a) in exchange for something the victim needs or wants, and/or (b) for the financial advantage or increased status of the perpetrator or facilitator. The victim may have been sexually exploited even if the sexual activity appears consensual. Child sexual exploitation does not always involve physical contact; it can also occur through the use of technology. (Dept. for Ed: Definition and a guide for practitioners, local leaders and decision makers working to protect children from child sexual exploitation, Feb 2017)

Child Criminal Exploitation

Child Criminal Exploitation (CCE) occurs where an individual or group takes advantage of an imbalance of power to coerce, control, manipulate or deceive a child or young person under the age of 18 into any criminal activity (a) in exchange for something the victim needs or wants, and/or (b) for the financial or other advantage of the perpetrator or facilitator and/or (c) through violence or the threat of violence.  The victim may have been criminally exploited even if the activity appears consensual.  CCE does not always involve physical contact; it can also occur through the use of technology. (Home Office: Serious Violence Strategy, April 2018)

Networks

A ‘network’ is defined as “two or more individuals (whether identified or not) who are known to (or associated with) one another”. Offender networks are often loosely interconnected rather than formally organised and older children or teenagers may also be involved in grooming victims.( https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/iicsa-child-sexual-exploitation-by-organised-networks)

Indicators of exploitation

• Going missing for periods of time, regularly returning home late or staying out late or overnight. Missing episodes can also occur in the day especially for children who are home educated.
• Regularly missing school or not in education due to part-time timetables and exclusion.
• Appearing with unexplained gifts or money.
• Being in a controlling relationship or having an older boyfriend or girlfriend.
• Having a new group of friends.
• Receiving more calls/texts than usual.
• Being very protective of their mobile phone or having multiple phones or SIM cards.
• Suffering from sexually transmitted infections, pregnancy or anal/vaginal injury.
• Uncharacteristic and significant mood swings or changes in behaviour and emotional wellbeing.
• Carrying drugs, unexplained amounts of money or weapons.
• Talking about an individual or group who have a lot of influence over them.
• Hanging around with older individuals or groups and breaking ties with old friends.
• Dropping out of positive activities and hobbies.
• Unexplained physical injuries and/or refusal to seek or accept medical treatment.
• Travelling alone to places far from home or being found by services out of area.
• Unexplained bus or train tickets.
• Using new language, words or hand signs you wouldn’t expect them to know.
• Changing their appearance, e.g. particular style, colours.
• Refusing to enter certain streets or parts of the city.
• Drug and alcohol misuse.
• Being secretive.
• Self-harming.
• Displaying unhealthy or inappropriate sexualised behaviour or language.
• Concerning use of mobile phone and internet.
• Involved with gang activity or gang affiliated.
• Spending time in CSE/ CCE known gang territories or hotspots.
• Being frightened of certain people or places.
• Physical signs of abuse, such as bruising, burns or lacerations.

Strategic aims

How we will measure success

• Number of children or young people at risk of, or experiencing exploitation identified.
• Number of children or young people with a reduction in their exploitation risk.
• Number of children supported at risk of exploitation supported by early help or child in need plans,
• Number of attendees at multi-agency exploitation training.
• Number of hits to exploitation resources on the website.
• Number of civil orders/ prosecutions used in relation to exploitation.
• Number of perpetrators, locations and networks identified.
• Evidence of positive outcomes seen in multi-agency exploitation audits.